The NBA playoff conference semi-finals have reached the pivotal portion of most series – Game 4. And perhaps the most pivotal Game 4 of them all will be in Philadelphia, where Joel Embiid and his 76ers will look to avoid going down a big 3-1 hole to the Boston Celtics.
Likewise, Devin Booker and the Phoenix Suns will look to even up their series with the No 1 seed in the West, the Denver Nuggets.
And in the other set of conference semi-finals, both the Miami Heat and Los Angeles Lakers will be in prime position to go 3-1 up as they will have home court advantage for Game 4 against the New York Knicks and Golden State Warriors, respectively.
Read on below as SBOTOP previews all four of the upcoming pivotal Game 4’s.
Boston Celtics @ Philadelphia 76ers
Newly crowned MVP Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers face a must-win situation as they look to avoid going down a 3-1 hole at home against the Boston Celtics in Game 4.
The Sixers suffered a 114-102 defeat in Game 3 as the Celtics – led by All-Star MVP Jayson Tatum – made big plays in the clutch. Tatum bounced back from his bad Game 2 to score 27 points in 43 minutes, while Jaylen Brown added 23 points. Sixth Man of the Year Malcolm Brogdon finally cooled off after a hot start to the series, but he still contributed 15 points and 6 assists off the bench.
Embiid had a big game with 30 points, 13 rebounds, and 4 blocks in just his second game back from injury. But James Harden, who fell back down to earth in Game 2, had his second disastrous game in a row as he finished with just 16 points on an awful 3-of-14 shooting.
Embiid has called on Harden to stay aggressive amid his struggles. And the Sixers will be hoping Hardeen heeds the call because even if Embiid plays at close to MVP level despite his injury concerns, they will struggle to overcome the Celtics without a significantly better performance from their star point guard.
Denver Nuggets @ Phoenix Suns
The Phoenix Suns are in a similar situation to the Sixers as they hope to stave off a 3-1 deficit against the Denver Nuggets.
After losing the first two games of the series, the Suns got their first win in Game 3 thanks to a sensational performance by Devin Booker. The Suns guard scored 47 points on a sizzling 80 per cent shooting (20-25 FG) with 6 rebounds and 9 assists. Meanwhile, Kevin Durant added 39 points, 9 rebounds, and 8 assists in an all-around performance to make up for the absence of Chris Paul.
Aside from their two stars, the Suns also got important minutes from several role players, Jock Landale, Landry Shamet, and TJ Warren. With Paul once again set to sit out due to his groin injury, those players will be key once again to Phoenix’s NBA 2023 odds of getting Game 4.
As for the Nuggets, they had another monster game from two-time MVP Nikola Jokic, who had 30 points, 17 rebounds, and 17 assists to become the first player with such a stat line in NBA playoff history.
However, they will need Jamal Murray, who had his third 30-point game in his last four games, to carry them a bit more in the clutch.
New York Knicks @ Miami Heat
After missing Game 2 with an ankle injury, Jimmy Butler returned with a vengeance in Game 3 as he spearheaded the Heat’s 105-86 blowout win over the New York Knicks. Butler led all scorers with 28 points as the Heat have taken a commanding 2-1 lead in the series.
Neither team created too many NBA 2023 highlights – both sides shot under 40 per cent from the field – but the Knicks were especially poor as they hit just 34 per cent of their shots. Jalen Brunson, who had been so consistent in this playoff run, had by far his worst game with 20 points on just 7-of-20 shooting. And Julius Randle, who made a triumphant return from his own ankle injury in Game 2, had just 10 points and went 4 of 15.
Needless to say, the Knicks cannot afford another horrific offensive performance if they hope to even the series up at 2-2 in South Beach.
Golden State Warriors @ Los Angeles Lakers
LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers are halfway toward knocking old rivals Stephen Curry the defending champion Golden State Warriors out of the NBA playoffs after a dominant 127-97 win in Game 3.
Anthony Davis was absolutely brilliant on both ends of the floor as he had 25 points, 13 rebounds, 4 blocks and 3 steals. Not to be outdone, James added 21 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists for the Lakers.
The Lakers’ defence – led by Davis – has been outstanding this postseason, and they were excellent once again as they held the Warriors to just 40 per cent shooting. Stephen Curry finished with 23 points on just 9-of-21 shooting, while Game 2 hero Klay Thompson came back down to earth with just 15 points and went 5 of 14 from the field.
The Warriors desperately need an offensive spark from someone besides the Splash Brothers if they hope to avoid going down a 3-1 hole to the Lakers.
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